It's fun to discover a video game on your own, but every so often, you need a helping hand. We're here to be that hand. This year, Kotaku made a regular habit out of publishing "Before you start" guides to give players spoiler-free tips on how to get the most out of a given video game. »1/01/13 2:00pm 1/01/13 2:00pm

For years it slumbered in darkness, deep within the earth. An Old God, maybe even the First God, its hibernation marked by rattling breaths reverberating in the deep like cinderblocks dragged across wet asphalt. Sleeping… resting. One day to wake. »12/26/12 8:00pm 12/26/12 8:00pm

I'm obsessed with video games. No news flash there. I can mark months of my life with the games I've played, the games I heard about, the new systems I got or the articles about video games that I wrote. »12/24/12 10:00am 12/24/12 10:00am

The 2012 year is almost over. Soon, it'll be time to get out those top hats and ring in the New Year. But many you don't want to wear a top hat. Maybe you want to wear something else. Like these folks. »12/24/12 8:00am 12/24/12 8:00am

Japan: The birthplace of
Mario »12/21/12 7:00am 12/21/12 7:00am, , , and —just to name a few. Each year scores of games are made and released here. The best of these come to the West—or rather of the best do. Each year, a few great titles manage to slip through the cracks for whatever reason and 2012 is no exception. So…

2012 was a hell of a year for video games. We got a ton of fantastic games to play, surprises of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It was also a year of upheaval, when things often didn't go according to plan, and when many a game failed to live up to expectations. »12/20/12 4:00pm 12/20/12 4:00pm

2012 was a banner year for stealth games. From January up through December, we got to play a healthy variety of games involving dozens of different types of sneaking, skulking, lurking, and sklurking. (It's a thing.) »12/19/12 8:00pm 12/19/12 8:00pm

Everyone loves a tropical island. Rolling green hills, crimson sunsets, crashing blue waves; when we think "paradise," we think of the tropics. With its finely tuned engine and sprawling island setting, Far Cry 3 was easily one of the most gorgeous video games of the year. The drug sequences were awfully pretty, too. »12/14/12 5:30pm 12/14/12 5:30pm

On Feb. 12, 2012, Kotakuintroduced "The Kotaku Network," which brings you the best that TV has to offer: regularly scheduled programming. We hatched segments like Off-Kilter, Melodic, Sportaku, and Panel Discussion, and dedicated blocks of time on the site to their topics. But soon into this idea, a problem emerged:… »12/14/12 2:51pm 12/14/12 2:51pm

Video games are more than lasers and explosions, rules and design, music and graphics. They require input, and so they require controls. But human interface can be a dicy thing—so tough to get right, so easy to screw up. »12/14/12 2:00pm 12/14/12 2:00pm

You press a button, and the beat drops. Forward you fly, straight into the perilous unknown, beats pushing against your eardrums as you push back against the controller. Tempo and harmony swim together, and you lose yourself in the rhythm of play. »12/13/12 8:00pm 12/13/12 8:00pm

It's been a long, hard year. But 2012 is coming to an end, climaxing in the end of year holidays. There's been a plethora of game posts here on Kotaku. Some of them have been breaking, some of them have been enlightening, and some of them have not exactly been safe for work. »12/10/12 9:00pm 12/10/12 9:00pm